HONG KONG is anxious to start discussions with China on arrangements for the civil service after 1997, Acting Governor Sir David Ford said yesterday.
But he declined to say if the present row over the new policy allowing overseas contract officers to switch to local terms would be discussed in the coming Joint Liaison Group meeting despite the Chinese side's wish to do so.
Sir David maintained the new policy was only an interim measure and did not have any implications after the changeover.
''What we really like to discuss in the Joint Liaison Group are the permanent, long-term arrangements for permanent residence in Hong Kong,'' he said.
''We need to have a clear understanding with the Chinese side as to who will be a permanent resident after 1997, how that will be set about, and also how we can apply that to the civil service so that we can move towards a situation in which we have common terms of service.'' He urged local officers to stay cool and rational.
''I don't think taking any form of dramatic action will help carry us further forward,'' he said.
''Sometimes in government, we have to make difficult decisions that people don't like . . . we should continue to talk, and try to resolve our problems amicably.'' Meanwhile, legislators have asked the Local Crown Counsel Association to clarify whether the emphasis on bilingualism in new proposals to block the policy would have the danger of expelling top civil servants who have sound technical knowledge but lack language skills.